Buying quality fabric
05-13-2010, 10:41 AM
#52
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Champaign IL
Posts: 135
Here's the scoop on quality of fabrics. All fabric manufacturers 'print' or 'dye' their designs onto fabric prepared for this type of work. The 'greige' (pronounced 'grey') goods (fabric) they use differs by who is purchasing the finished product. A loosely woven fabric and a tightly woven fabric may look similar or the same, but you have to go by feel. It's like thread count in sheets. 100 count white sheets with a lot of sizing look as good as 600 count sheets until you wash them. LQS fabrics are usually good quality, although the shop can purchase 'cut-rate', just like the chain stores. Touchy feely works best!
05-13-2010, 11:08 AM
#53
Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 92
Better quality fabrics will make a better quilt with longer lasting color. I have used Walmart and the less expensive fabrics but if you want a quilt to keep its color after washings then a better quality fabric is what you should use. Think about those baby quilts that will be washed over and over. I understand that when a fabric is printed , the first printings are the best and will be deeper in the fabric. The second and third printing wont hold the color as well.
05-13-2010, 11:26 AM
#54
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Central Wisconsin
Posts: 1,660
I read that thee manufacturers make three levels of fabric. The highest for lqs's, medium for Joanns, Hancocks, and the lowest for Walmart. Having said that, I agree with the others, buy what you can afford. I love lqs fabrics, but have gotten some really nice stuff at Joanns, and at Walmart. You just have to be careful. Some of the places that I have ordered from and gotten really good quality for a good price are fabric.com, MaryJo's Cloth Store, Desperate quilters. These are just 3.
05-13-2010, 11:59 AM
#55
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Maine
Posts: 1,376
Not only buy the best you can afford, but if you look at the brand names on the ends of the bolts, you can pick out the better brands as well.
Originally Posted by MamaBear61
In general the answer is yes, but you can find good quality fabrics in the discount type stores. Most of us here say buy the best you can afford and if that happens to be fabrics that are discounted that's okay.
05-13-2010, 12:04 PM
#56
Super Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 3,699
Generally LQS will have better quality fabric. But I have bought some good fabric at Joanns. I won't buy anything that I can see my hand through, though. And I noticed Joanns has gottem better with this in their quilting fabric. The only line sites mentioned are great. And don't forget to check the sales and clearance sections in online quilt shops. Sometimes you can pick a bargain there.
05-13-2010, 12:17 PM
#58
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Front row
Posts: 14,646
There is different quality of poly/ cotton blends too. The cheap poly/cotton blends are usually stiff and shinny. The good poly/cotton blends are softer and and have a good drape. One way to tell the difference is in men's dress shirts at a thrift store. The shirts have been worn and washed. The better quality shirts made from a poly/cotton blend will be very different in feel from the cheaper poly/cotton shirts. If you are lucky you will find Oxford or Pima cotton shirts in size XXX. That is some of the best quilting fabric you can find anywhere.
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